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Turning app downloads into subscriptions.

How the Zid merchant app became an acquisition channel: in-app registration, onboarding and a PLG strategy that held up when the business model changed mid-project.

Role Product Designer, Zid AppCompany Zid · E-commerce SaaSTeam PM, mobile engineersPlatform iOS & Android · EN/AR
Zid app: create account, creating your store, and subscription successful screens
Results

What changed

+15%
Subscriptions directly from the app
1 day
Registration & onboarding for the average merchant
01 — The problem

Lots of downloads. No way in.

Zid's merchant app was being downloaded at a high rate, but new users couldn't register or create a store inside it. Every download from someone new was a dead end.

The question wasn't just "how do we add sign-up to mobile". It was two harder ones:

  1. How do we make registration simple on a phone, when the web flow already felt long?
  2. How do we make sure merchants complete every mandatory step before they can launch a store?

I approached it end to end, from the moment someone downloads the app to the moment their store is live and subscribed, so registration, store creation and onboarding worked as one journey.

Zid app App Store previews: easily launch your store, total control, manage on the go, add products in seconds, manage orders, track your growth
The journey starts before the download: App Store previews that sell the value — launch, manage, add products, track growth.
02 — My role

Owning the app experience

I led UX for the Zid app: a full audit of the app, then redesigns of the experiences that decide whether a merchant succeeds.

Full app UX auditRegistration & store creationOnboardingAdd-product experienceStore analyticsEmpty states revampIn-app subscriptionsPLG & paywalls
03 — What we learned

Why merchants dropped off

I combined Clarity heatmaps and funnel data, past surveys, personas and interviews, an audit of the web registration, and competitive benchmarks. Four findings shaped the design:

"Why do you need all this?"Merchants didn't understand why so much information was required. The process felt long and bureaucratic.
The value was invisibleNothing in the flow showed how Zid would help them start a business.
Location was the biggest drop-offTechnical issues and privacy concerns made merchants hesitate to share an exact address.
They came to sell, not to sign upMerchants wanted to start selling right away, but mandatory steps stood between them and their store.
04 — Design decisions

Turn a form into building your store

  • Justify every input. Each required step explains how it helps launch the store.
  • Show Zid's value at every step, so motivation grows instead of draining.
  • Fix location with options, not more fields: detect it, search it, or add it manually.
  • Break it into small steps with visible progress, so merchants always know what's left.
  • Preview the store as it's built, with small celebrations at each milestone.
Create account, sign up with email, and email verification screens
Step 1 · Account registration and verification
Five-step store creation flow: store name, phone verification, category, location, business type, then store creation and success
Step 2 · Store creation in five short steps, with location as a choice
Creating your store animation sequence ending with Congratulations, your store is ready
A live preview while the store is created, ending in a celebration
05 — The pivot

The free plan disappeared right before launch

Close to release, Zid removed its free plan. New merchants could register in the app, but couldn't subscribe there. Three options were on the table:

Option ACancel the project, since users couldn't subscribe after registering.
Option BPostpone indefinitely until in-app subscriptions were decided.
Option CAllow registration but block the app, likely driving uninstalls.
What I proposed, and stakeholders approved
  • Let merchants register and explore the app in a locked state instead of blocking it.
  • Revamp empty states to show what each feature unlocks after subscribing.
  • Place paywalls that encourage conversion rather than force it.
  • Re-engage registered merchants later with targeted emails.

High download numbers meant real interest. Removing the free plan didn't remove the value. It changed where we showed it.

06 — Showing value everywhere

Empty states and subscriptions that support the decision

  • Revamped every empty state in the app. Instead of blank screens, each one shows what the feature does and how it helps the merchant grow, so value is visible before the first order.
  • Made subscriptions available right after onboarding, designed to support the merchant's decision rather than push it: a store setup checklist that shows progress, a clear note on what requires a subscription, and an easy path to explore plans.
  • Gave subscribers a clear home for their plan, with subscription management one tap away.
Revamped empty states for notifications, customer search, customers and analytics
Empty states that explain the value of each feature and the next action
Zid app subscription screen, store setup checklist with requires subscription note, and More menu with subscription management
Store setup checklist, subscription prompt and plan management
07 — Outcome

An acquisition channel, not just an app

  • +15% subscriptions directly from the mobile app.
  • Higher registration completion and lower drop-off than the web sign-up flow.
  • Registration and onboarding in a single day for the average merchant.
  • In-app subscriptions launched after onboarding, turning the app into a full acquisition-to-revenue channel.
Zid app welcome screens: manage your store, order tracking, track your growth, modern retail, welcome
The welcome journey that frames Zid's value before sign-up
08 — What I took away

Constraints aren't a reason to stop

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